WeedLife News Network

The world is waking up to the blooming cannabis market and it’s time to elevate this industry, says Eric Benz, a contributor to CannaDAO, which is creating a blockchain-based platform for the cannabis industry.

On the day Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in as president in 2021, an eclectic mix of demonstrators convened at the Colorado state capitol building in Denver.

Among them that January day was DonQuenick Beasley, who had a message different from others in the crowd.

The Bible-quoting black cannabis-rights activist held a sign saying “Give Us Our harvest” and at one point shouted down other demonstrators so she could talk about the injustice she sees in an industry dominated by white men while black men languish in prison for non-violent marijuana convictions.

“Give us our harvest” was her call for those prisoners to be released, trained and allowed to enter the legal cannabis industry, growing marijuana in fields where slaves once picked cotton.

The application window opened Thursday for Connecticut retailers who want to participate in the recreational and medical cannabis markets. The state plans to license two general applicants and two social equity applicants as hybrid retailers.

Crypto Cannabis Club is taking weed-themed NFTs to the next level, and it all started with bonding over weed and currency.

Crypto Cannabis Club is a home for fans of cannabis and NFTs from all over the globe. In a short span of six months, the club has already amassed over 10,000 members, spending their days swapping stories, selling cannabis plant NFTs on secondary markets, and even entering crypto cannabis cup competitions. It’s a new force to recognize in the metaverse. 

The club began as a family business. It was co-founded by two brothers, Jimmy and Kevin Fitzpatrick. As crowded as the cannabis marketplace is, the duo saw an empty space waiting for NFTs (translation: non-fungible tokens available to sell and trade). 

A new bill in California hopes to end discrimination against those who use cannabis outside of the workplace.

California employers would be barred from discriminating against employees for cannabis use while off the job under legislation introduced last week. The measure, AB 2188, was introduced in the California Assembly by Democratic Assembly Member Bill Quirk on February 15.

If passed, AB 2188 would end discrimination based on drug testing for cannabis metabolites, which are non-psychoactive substances that can be detected in a person’s bodily fluids for up to several weeks after they have consumed cannabis. 

The US cannabis industry added more than 100,000 jobs last year, and the economic lift will only continue if states like New York get recreational programs off the ground, experts say.

Americans spent nearly $25 billion on cannabis products in 2021, as the budding industry expanded by about 33 percent, adding more than 107,000 new jobs, according to a Wednesday jobs report from cannabis new site Leafly, and Whitney Economics.

As cannabis and hemp legislation expands and the “green wave” momentum continues throughout the U.S., investors are beginning to set their sights on cannabis-related assets. Real estate in particular is becoming a popular asset class for investors as states begin seeking ways to increase tax income through lifting restrictions on cannabis and hemp for medical or recreational purposes.

In just a few months, Clark County will begin accepting business applications for cannabis lounges. Now a first-of-its-kind program aims to propel people of color into positions of power in the marijuana industry.

It's called the Pathway to Ownership program, and the 17-week course aims to address the gap between the growth of the cannabis industry over the last few years and growing social inequities within the industry.

"Now that these white guys are making a fortune, let's pass some of that success on to other people," said Commissioner Tick Segerblom.

Last week, the Clark County Commission approved $270,000 of the county's marijuana fees to fund the business, networking and mentoring program, which offers a certificate to those who complete it successfully.

VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Vejii Holdings Ltd. (CSE: VEJI) (OTCQB: VEJIF) ("Vejii or the "Company") is pleased to announce the launch of Planet Based Foods' (CSE: PBF) (FSE: AZ0) innovative hemp-protein products including the HEMP Burger, HEMP Crumble, and the HEMP Sausage Patty product ranges into the Company's US platform.

Vejii is a digital marketplace offering thousands of plant-based and sustainable-living products, from hundreds of vendors in a centralized online shopping experience. Vejii has created a unique community of ethically aligned consumers, with the intention of bettering our planet by supporting sustainable living.

New hemp legislation has been introduced designed to address unresolved issues associated with the 2018 Farm Bill, including THC limits.

Hemp has been legal in the USA since the 2018 Farm Bill and is defined as Cannabis sativa L. with a delta-9 THC concentration of not more than 0.3 percent by dry weight. Above 0.3 percent  and cannabis is considered marijuana, which remains illegal at a federal level.

This poses a number of challenges for the country’s hemp farmers. It restricts the choice of varieties they can grow, and even among particularly lower THC strains there is the risk of crops going “hot”, meaning the crop needs to be destroyed. Depending on the circumstances, a farmer may also face criminal charges.

DENVER, Feb. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - (TSX: CWEB) (OTCQX: CWBHF) Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc. ("Charlotte's Web" or the "Company"), the market leader in cannabidiol ("CBD") hemp extract wellness products, is exploring the entry into the CBD wellness beverage market with new CBD social elixirs currently under development with an expected launch date later in the calendar year.

"Entering the beverage category is reflective of our increased focus on new product categories and formats to drive our topline growth," said Jacques Tortoroli, Chief Executive Officer of Charlotte's Web. "This allows us to enter this fast-growing portion of the market." 

Two of investors' all-time favorite cannabis companies released quarterly results last week. Canada-based Aurora Cannabis (NASDAQ:ACB) and Canopy Growth (NASDAQ:CGC) have made investors rich in the past. Both had an early mover advantage in the Canadian medical cannabis market. However, the last couple of years have been a roller-coaster ride. Besides some of their own mistakes, external headwinds like regulatory challenges in Canada delayed the opening of legal stores, which slowed down growth for these cannabis specialists.

A New Hampshire ruling shows some support for medicinal cannabis use in the work place.

Cannabis use in the workplace is a complex issue with many layers. While some states may have cannabis programs in place, workplace laws are a different thing entirely. In a recent case, New Hampshire voted in favor of a plaintiff, who sued a company that fired him for his medical cannabis use.

The plaintiff, Scott Paine, used cannabis as prescription medication for his PTSD. Paine worked at Ride-Away, and had to be tested for drugs regularly. He requested an exemption of drug tests when off-duty, never asking to consume cannabis on the job. Ride-Away denied Paine’s request and terminated his employment.

This summer, Sault Ste. Marie will be getting its first marijuana grow and cultivation facility called Gro-UP.

The city currently has four provisionary centers which began opening after the city passed a law in August 2020 allowing marijuana businesses to operate within city limits.

Gro-UP’s leadership chose Sault Ste. Marie as its base of operations where their product will be grown, tested and packaged. Eventually the start-up plans to have stores all over Michigan but for now, will be opening a retail store near the grow facility.

With Black History Month in mind, we present Roz McCarthy, founder of Minorities for Medical Marijuana (M4MM) and now Black Buddha Cannabis (BBC), her entry into the legal industry. PrePacks™ glass chillums and gummies are the first products to roll out in four states, from California to Ohio "via brand partnerships with equitable manufacturers, cultivators, and operators," according to the press release. 

“I’m a proud Black woman raised by a mother who encouraged me to think big and dream bigger,” McCarthy declares. “The creation of M4MM and BBC is a testament to hard work, tenacity, and perseverance.”

The rush to put down dispensary roots three years ago has led to about 2,000 dispensaries doing business in Oklahoma.

It was a modern-day land run as many sought to stake a claim in the booming industry with just one small storefront, staffed by the owner and a couple of employees. But now, as the industry matures and entrepreneurs find their niche in the market, and the state ramps up enforcement efforts on ownership laws, a fight is emerging over market share as companies attempt to expand their footprint into multiple stores across multiple markets.

One business, Apothecary Farms had two grand openings last week alone.

The cannabis industry’s current operating standards mirror that of an illegal black market, especially when it comes to handling money, transactions, and banking. Transactional requirements are generally vague and there is a lack of understanding as to what is legal and what is not.

It has been a remarkably smooth and successful ride for Michigan’s cannabis industry, and regulators hope to keep it that way as the growing network of suppliers and sellers face an inevitable period of consolidation and stubborn competition from old-school street dealers who do not share their overhead and red-tape burdens.